SB 

.H2 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY— BULLETIN NO. 150. 

B. T. GALLOWAY, Chief of Bureau. 



THE WILD ALFALFAS AND CLOVERS OF SIBERIA, 

WITH A PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF THE 

ALFALFAS OF THE WORLD. 



BY 



N. P:. HANSEN, 

Agricultural Explorer of the United States Depart- 
ment OF Agriculture; Professor of Horticulture 
IN THE South Dakota State College of Agri- 
culture AND Mechanic Arts. 



Issued May 27, 1909. 




WASHINGTON: 

.government printing office. 

1909. 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

'' BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY— BULLETIN NO. 150. 

B. T. GALLOWAY, ChieJ of Bureau. 



THE WILD ALFALFAS AND CLOVERS OF SIBERIA, 

WITH A PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF THE 

ALFALFAS OF THE WORLD. 



E. HANSEN, 

Agricultural Explorer of the United States Depart- 
ment OF Agriculture; Professor of Horticulture 
IN the South Dakota State College of Agri- 
culture and Mechanic Arts. 



Issued May 27, 1909. 




WASHINGTON: 

government printing office. 

1909. 






BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 



Chief of Bureau, Beverly T. (Jalloway. 
AHuistant Chief of Bureau, Albert F. Woods. 
Editor, J. E. Rockwell. 
Chief Clerk, James E. Jones. 



Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction. 

scientific staff. 

David Fail-child, Agricultural Explorer in Charge. 

Franii N. Meyer, Agricultural Explorer. 

Albert Mann, Expert in Charge of Special Barley Iniestigationfi. 

F. W. Clarke, Special Agent in Charge of Matting-Rush Investigations. 

Frederic Chisolm, Expert. 

Walter Fischer, R. A. Young, and H. C. Slieels, Scientific Assistants. 

150 
2 



l\n 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL 



u. s. deparxaient of agriculture, 

Bureau of Plant Industry, 

Office of the Chief, 
Washington, D. G ., February 27, 1909. 
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith the manuscript of a 
paper by Prof. Niels Ebbesen Hansen, AgriciUtiiral Explorer of this 
Department and Professor of Horticulture in the South Dakota State 
College of Agriculture. The manuscript is a preliminary report on 
the wild alfalfas and clovers of Siberia, with a perspective view of the 
alfalfas of the world. 

During the past twelve years Professor Hansen has made three trips 
to the colder regions of Europe and Asia in search of new alfalfas 
and other forage crops. The report deals with questions bearing on 
the crops discovered and introduced, and is respectfully recommended 
for publication. 

On behalf of Professor Hansen I wish to express thanks for the 
great courtesy and kindness of all Russian oiRcials and other citizens 
of the Empire of Russia, who did everything in their power to assist 
in his work. 

Respectfully, B. T. Galloway, 

Chief of Bio'cau. 
Hon. James AVilson. 

Secretary of Agriculture. 
150 . 3 



CONTENTS. 



Pagp. 

Introduction 7 

The preparation for the work 7 

The first journey to Siberia 8 

The second journey to Siberia 8 

The third journey to Siberia : 9 

A forecast 10 

Three Siberian alfalfas 11 

Medicago falcata 11 

Medicago platycarpa 15 

IVIedicago ruthenica 15 

Four other alfalfas 16 

Medicago sativa 16 

Medicago media 18 

Medicago glutinosa 19 

Medicago arborea 19 

The future alfalfa for America 20 

Notes on the clovers of eastern European Russia and Siberia 21 

Trifolium pratense — red clover 21 

Perm red clover 21 

Trifolium medium 22 

Trifolium montanum 23 

Trifolium lupinaster „ 23 

Trifolium suaveolens — Persian clover 24 

Can plants be acclimatized to endure a greater degree of cold?. 25 

Acclimatization of annual plants 25 

Acclimatization of perennial plants 26 

Index 29 



ILLUSTRATION 



Page. 
Pl.\te 1 . Map showing the routes taken on three journeys by Prof. N. E. Hansen . 8 

150 S 



B. P. 1—456. 



THE WILD ALFALFAS AND CLOVERS OF SIBERL4, 
WrrH A PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF THE ALFALFAS 
OF THE WORLD. 



INTRODUCTION. 

On February 10, 1909, the writer returned to Washington from 
an eight months' tour to Siberia and Turkestan as Agricultural Ex- 
plorer for the United States Department of Agriculture. This con- 
ckided his third tour to Siberia in search of a hardy alfalfa for the 
Prairie Northwest. These three expeditions were preceded by a 
visit to European Russia in 1894. 

It had been his plan to sa}^ very little concerning the new j^lants 
obtained until they had been further tested, preferring that the seeds 
should tell their own story as to their value for this continent. How- 
ever, the flood of correspondence indicates such great interest in this 
subject that it appears desirable at this time to present a preliminary 
report. 

THE PREPARATION FOR THE WORK. 

Upon entering the Cabinet in 1897, Secretary Wilson mapped out 
a comprehensive system of foreign explorations by which the number 
of economic plants now in cultivation in various parts of the United 
States was to be largely augmented by additions from other coun- 
tries having similar conditions of soil and climate. 

The writer had the honor to be aj^pointed the first agricultural 
explorer. Three years previously, in the course of a four months' 
trip through eight countries of Europe, he had spent three weeks in 
European Russia studying the horticulture and agriculture of that 
empire. The trip served to direct his thoughts into unusual chan- 
nels, especially in the line of breeding hardy fruits. This breeding 
work has occupied his attention ever since, and after raising seedlings 
by the hundreds of thousands some remarkable hybrids have been 
originated. 

This line of breeding has led the writer to study the habitat and 
original distribution of many economic plants and to do considerable 
work in exploring our western wilds, where an occasional rattlesnake 
would add zest to the quest. The wise counsel of his teacher, Prof. 
J. L. Budd, and his observations from a trip through Russia gather- 
150 ' 



8 WILD ALFALFAS AND CLOVERS OP SIBERIA. 

iiig fruits in 1882 have been remembered with great profit. Since 
September, 1895, in the writer's work at the agricuUural college and 
experiment station of South Dakota, this question has continually 
presented itself: Why are some plants hardy and other plants tender 
as regards winter cold and summer heat ? There must be some definite 
law underlying this great difference in hardiness. 

THE FIRST JOURNEY TO SIBERIA. 

The writer's first journey to Siberia was a ten months' tour, from 
June, 1897, to March, 1898, through eastern European Russia, Turkes- 
tan, western China, and Siberia. (See PI. I.) As a result of this 
journey Turkestan alfalfa was imported into the United States for 
the first time. The exportation of Turkestan alfalfa, both to North 
and South America, has since assumed large proportions, as it has 
been found in certain localities to be more resistant to cold and 
drought than the ordinary alfalfa now in cultivation, which was 
brought by the Spaniards from Xorth Africa to South America, 
perhaps three centuries ago, and later to California. 

The trip of 1897 included an overland journey by wagon and sleigh 
of over two thousand miles from Tashkend, Turkestan, to Omsk, 
Siberia, via Kuldja, western China. Five carloads of various seeds 
and plants were obtained in the course of the ten months' tour. 

The endeavor of 1897, as developed in the progress of the investiga- 
tion, was to find the northernmost plants of Medicago sativa, the com- 
mon alfalfa now cultivated. As nearly as could be determined, 
the northern limit was near Kopal, in southwestern Siberia. The 
severity of the winter made further work by the writer impossi- 
ble. At one time he was one thousand miles from the nearest rail- 
road. The hardships and perils of that journey are a matter of 
record. 

At that time the writer had come to believe strongly that the 
botanical name of any species of plant was not enough for the pur- 
poses of agriculture ; that a species extending over a wide geograph- 
ical range differed widely in degrees of hardiness, especially in regard 
to cold; and that for the northern regions of the United States we 
must find the form that had been developed by nature in similar 
regions in the Old World. Hence the endeavor to get the most north- 
ern type of alfalfa in Asia for trial under similar conditions in North 
America, where no alfalfa is native. 

THE SECOND JOURNEY TO SIBERIA. 

Circumstances made it impossible for agricultural explorations 
to be resumed in Siberia for some time. The Spanish-American war, 
the Russian- Japanese war, and the Russian revolution all made 

150 




Routes Taken on TMate Journeys by Prof. N. E. Hai'SEN 



THE THIRD JOURNEY TO SIBERIA. 9 

further work impracticable. In July, 1906, the second journey began, 
and this turned out to be a six months' trip around the world by way 
of England, Denmark, Lapland in northern Norway and Sweden, 
Finland, Siberia, Manchuria, and Japan. Some three hundred lots 
of various seeds and plants were obtained on this journey. 

The writer learned that he was very nearly correct in his former 
estimate as to the northern limit of the common alfalfa in Asia, but 
that extending far north of this limit across Siberia were three wild 
species with yellow flowers instead of blue and that these were good 
forage plants in the driest and most severe regions of southern Si- 
beria. The early settlers of Siberia learned the value of these species, 
as they put up wild hay for the stock and observed that the cattle, 
sheep, and horses on the ranges were fond of these plants. These 
three species were Medicago falcata^ extending approximately over 
the western two-thirds of Siberia ; Medicago platycarpa^ found in 
a much more limited range in central and south-central Siberia, espe- 
cially along the edge of timber and in timber clearings; and Medi- 
cago vuthenica^ found in the remaining eastern portion of Siberia, 
Mongolia, and Manchuria. Associated with these were some wild 
clovers which it appeared equally desirable to obtain, especially for 
short rotations. 

The lateness of the season when these species were found made it 
impossible to obtain the seed of more than one of the three, Medicago 
falcata. The intense interest manifested in this discovery upon re- 
turning to the United States showed tlie urgent need of hardier al- 
falfas and clovers than we now have for the prairie regions of the 
Northwest. 

THE THIRD JOURNEY TO SIBERIA. 

The third journey, of eight months, was for the purpose of gather- 
ing more seed of new forage plants, especially alfalfas and clovers, in 
Siberia. As the route homeward was through the Caucasus, the Medi- 
terranean region, and North Africa, the writer was able to make a 
study of some other alfalfas, so that the present report might be 
termed a perspective view of the alfalfas of the world, or a study of 
alfalfa on four continents, especially the wild alfalfas of Siberia and 
the cultivated alfalfas native to Turkestan and the Mediterranean 
region. It is the story in brief outline of a persistent and determined 
effort to find out what nature has done toward making the alfalfa 
family adapted to regions of extreme cold, heat, and drought. 

This third tour to Siberia was very greatly hampered by unfavor- 
able weather; it was the wettest and most backward season known 
for many years and the seeds were not ripe at the usual time. The 
widespread epidemic of xA.siatic cholera in Russia and Siberia, in 
76816— Bui. 150—09 2 



10 WILD ALFALFAS AND CLOVERS OF SIBERIA. 

the midst of which the writer had to hibor, did not facilitate the work. 
Some 300 lots of seeds and plants were obtained, however. On this 
journey a study was made of how people manage to live in some of 
the principal deserts of the world, including the Gobi Desert of 
Mongolia, the Salt Steppes of southern and southwestern Siberia, 
the Hunger Steppe of Turkestan, and the Sahara Desert of Xorth 
Africa. An effort to extend this knowledge has been made by study- 
ing the work of numerous Russian explorers in Siberia and central 
Asia, so as to get a wider grasp of the subject. The remarkable fact 
developed that one alfalfa and one clover grow nearly, if not quite, at 
the northern limit of cold. This point is Verkhoyansk, in latitude 
68° north, with a recorded minimum temperature of — 67.8° C. 
(_90.04° F.). Yakutsk is in 62° north latitude, nearly due north of 
Lake Baikal, with a recorded minimum temperature of^— 64.4° C. 
(_83.92° F.). The northeastern limit of Medicago falcata and of 
Trifolium hipinaster is somewhere between Verkhoyansk and Ya- 
kutsk. Specimens of both plants have been collected on the Aldan 
Eiver north of Yakutsk. In this region the subsoil remains perma- 
nently frozen. 

In this extreme northern section of Siberia throughout an immense 
area are found the remains of the huge mastodons which at one time 
roamed over the plains. Their ivory tusks are still found in large 
quantities and are utilized, although usually much weathered after 
so many centuries of exposure. 

It is of great interest to note that nature has furnished two legumes 
for this extreme north region. The mastodons of a former age have 
been succeeded by the hardy breeds of cattle and reindeer kept by 
natiA^e tribes and exiles. The time available, as well as his own prefer- 
ence, made the writer gather seeds in latitudes farther south, from 
50° to 55° north, where with hot and dry summers there is much less 
snow at the time of the lowest temperatures, the mercury in the 
thermometers sometimes freezing with no snow on the ground. 

In studies as to the sources of the seed the important fact should 
be borne in mind that the mere latitude and longitude do not tell 
the main story, but that isothermal lines and the amount of precipi- 
tation are the main factors in indicating climatic extremes. These 
have been the main guides in choosing the localities in which to 

gather seeds. 

A FORECAST. 

The writer has often been urged to make positive statements as to 
what the alfalfas and clovers brought from Siberia will do under field 
culture in the various regions of the United States. Inasmuch as 
he is not a prophet nor the son of a prophet he has steadily refused 
to do this. To the farmers of the Northwest who have lost millions 

150 



THREE SIBERIAN ALFALFAS. 11 

in all these years by the winterkilling of the common alfalfa and 
clover imported from the far milder regions of the Old World, he 
must give the admonition to be patient until the Department of 
Agriculture can definitely determine the value of these and other new 
introductions for the various regions of the Northwest. 

The great difficulty of gathering seed in quantity in the wilderness 
makes it impracticable to send out the seeds to private planters, nor 
would it be desirable to do so until their real value has been deter- 
mined. From a study of the climatic and soil conditions under which 
the seeds were gathered in Siberia, there are excellent reasons for be- 
lieving that they will be found valuable in the colder and drier 
regions of the Northwest. They are not intended for i-egions where 
no trouble has been experienced from winterkilling of alfalfas and 
clovers under ordinary conditions. For such regions the writer would 
say, " Let well enough alone." His own belief is that these new 
])lants will extend the present alfalfa and clover limits as far north 
on the American continent as anyone will Avish to farm. 

These alfalfas and clovers may be used in two ways: (1) As a culti- 
vated crop for hay and pasture, and (2) to introduce as wild plants 
into the native ranges of the Prairie Northwest, where they will 
probably be able to hold their own with any plants now found there. 
As regards food value the peasants of Siberia have long ago de- 
termined that these alfalfas are suitable for all kinds of stock. 
Medicago faJcatcu especially, is no doubt an important factor in mak- 
ing the rich cream and butter for which Siberia is becoming noted. 

THREE SIBERIAN ALFALFAS. 

There are upward of 50 species of Medicago distributed through 
middle and southern Europe, especially in the Mediterranean region, 
western Asia, and North Africa. The group includes the useful 
snail clovers. Some are objectionable OAving to their spiny pods, 
which cause trouble by getting into the wool of sheep. 

The genus is well represented in the Caucasus, Avhere there are at 
least 21 native species, along with 54 species of Tri folium, and there 
is abundant room for further explorations, especially in the moun- 
tain regions, for new species. 

MEDICAGO FALCATA. 

Geographical distribution. — Medicago falcata L., the name, "" fal- 
cata " referring to the falcate or sickle-shaped pods, is distributed 
over a very wide area of Europe and Asia, but in the milder regions 
of its habitat it has been overshadowed by the common lucern, 
Avhich has been under cultivation for a much longer period. It ex- 
tends through a large part of western Europe, central and southern 

150 



12 WILD ALFALFAS AND CLOVERS OF SIBERIA. 

Russia, the Crimea, the Caucasus, and through approximately the 
western two-thirds of Siberia, at least as far as 64° north latitude, 
through North China, the Trans-Caspian regions, including Turkes- 
tan and Persia, and through Afghanistan, western India, and Asia 
Minor. The extraordinarily wide distribution of this plant makes it 
necessary to be extremely careful in choosing the source of seeds. 

Sir J. D. Hooker, in his " Flora of British India," states that the 
plant is found in Kashmir, Ladak, Kunawar, etc., and at an alti- 
tude of 5,000 to 13,000 feet in Afghanisran. 

Moorcoft, in his article on the fruit trees of Kashmir, July 8, 1823, 
gives interesting notes on the cultivation of this yellow lucern in 
northwestern India. In a letter written in 1822 Moorcoft says that 
"the yellow lucern is a spontaneous production of this, is of a con- 
stitution more hardy than that of Europe, requires no other culture 
than that necessary for sowing it, and lasts for a long series of 
years." 

This yellow -flowered lucern is considered by some authors to be 
the ancestor of the common alfalfa, but if so it must have been de- 
rived from the form of the species as found wild in its far south 
range, where civilization flourished in the earliest times. The Chinese 
have cultivated Medicago safiva from very early times and have 
Medicago falcata in cultivation in North China south of the Trans- 
Baikal region. However, this is far south of the region in which 
the writer secured seed in 1906 and 1908. 

Medicago falcata in European Russia. — The agricultural experi- 
ment station at Besentsug, some 30 miles east of Samara in the 
Volga River region of eastern European Russia, is in the midst of a 
vast steppe region which has suffered from severe summer droughts 
and winter colds, often with but little snow. Recurring failures of 
crops have caused widespread distress at times among the peasants. 
This station has been recently established to help solve the dry-land 
agriculture problems for this region. Medicago falcata is found 
native here, and attention has been turned to it very recently as a 
valuable native plant adapted to cultivation. The trials at this sta- 
tion show that Medicago sativa, the French lucern as it is called in 
Europe, winterkills frequently and does not endure pasturing, Avhile 
the native alfalfa, Medicago falcata, is of course perfectly hardy and 
endures pasturing for ten years at least. Under culture the plant is of 
upright habit except the first season, when it is somewhat reclining. 
It is a long-lived plant with a strong root system. The roots have been 
traced to a length of 10 feet and were still vigorous. Chemical 
analyses show that the protein content of the first cutting is superior 
by nearly 2 per cent to that of the common alfalfa, but in later cut- 

150 



THREE SIBERIAN ALFALFAS. 13 

tings the reverse is the case. Hence, it woukl seem best to cut early. 
Stock are very fond of this wild alfalfa. 

The small experimental plots of the native form of Medicago fcdcata 
in southern European Russia in the Poltava and Kharkof provinces 
showed a strong upright growth, as strong as ordinary alfalfa {Medi- 
cago sativa). However, Medicago falcata is not cultivated to any 
extent in this region because the ordinary alfalfa has the start of it 
as a cultivated plant and the seed is plentiful and cheap. 

At Moscow and other regions of western Russia where the climate 
is moister, clovers are more profitable in their shorter rotations than 
alfalfas. 

Klingen, the Russian agronomist, found as many as one hundred 
branches from one plant of Medicago falcata. Where not pastured 
the plant is of strong, upright growth, standing fully waist high in 
the steppes, but where pastured closely it creeps and only the ends 
are erect. In general, Klingen finds that Medicago falcata stands 
pasturing, while Medicago sativa does not. 

Medicago falcata is considered an excellent plant for bees, the 
flowers containing an abundance of nectar. 

In his 1906 expedition the writer secured seed of Medicago falcata 
from Kharkof Province, southeastern Russia, S. P. I. No. 20717 ; from 
Omsk, Siberia, S. P. I. Nos. 20718 and 20719; from Irkutsk, eastern 
Siberia (from a load of wild hay), S. P. I. No. 20720; Samara Prov- 
ince in the Volga River region, S. P. I. Nos. 20721 and 20726 ; Sara- 
tov Province, central Volga River region, S. P. I. No. 20722; Don 
Province of the lower Volga River region, southeastern Russia, S. 
P. I. No. 20725 ; and Tomsk, Siberia, S. P. I. No. 20724. 

Siberian field notes on Medicago falcata made in 1906 and 1908. — 
In 1906 and 1908 the writer found Medicago falcata to be a long- 
lived perennial with yellow flowers and with such a strong upright 
growth that it could be easily cut with a mower. Seed of this plant 
was gathered in many localities in 1906 from various parts of the 
Volga River region of eastern and southeastern Russia and in 1908 
from a good many places ranging from the western boundary of 
Siberia to the Chinese border in the Trans-Baikal region, a distance 
of about 4,000 miles, but especially in the provinces of Tomsk, Akmo- 
linsk, and Irkutsk. The choice of localities was decided by their 
similarity to the region of the Prairie Northwest, in which the alfalfas 
were designed to be tested. This species is especially abundant in 
the provinces of Tomsk and Akmolinsk, western Siberia. In 1908, 
traveling by wagon from Biisk to Semipalatinsk, in the vast plain 
lying just north of the Altai Mountains, which separates it from 
Mongolia, the writer learned in the course of a drive of 400 miles that 
Medicago falcata is one of the dominant and characteristic plants 

150 



14 WILD ALFALFAS AISTD CLOVERS OF SIBEEIA. 

of the steppe pastures and oj)en range, holding its own with all the 
other vegetation. An abundance of hay is put up by the peasants, 
and the plant is highly esteemed in the wild pastures and ranges. 

AVherever the range is not greatly overcrowded, especially with 
sheep, Medicago falcata is a fine upright plant 3 to 3i feet in height. 
The abundant, bright yellow flowers are decidedly ornamental. Stock 
eat this plant greedily, and bees work on it industriously. It has a 
A'ery strong root system. At 3 feet the taproot of one plant was still 
as large as a lead pencil. 

The land here is divided into fenced tracts. Each village has one 
tract, usually greatly more than sufficient for its needs, but the popu- 
lation is rapidly increasing by immigration from European Russia. 

Medicago falcata is a common plant in the wild hay offered for 
sale in the hay markets of the small towns along the line of the Sibe- 
rian Railroad. The common name given it by the peasants is 
" scholtoe veseel," the first word meaning yellow, but " veseel " is some- 
times applied to a vetch and to a clover in other regions of Russia. 

In August, 1908, the writer found wild plants of Medicago falcata 
5 feet 8 inches in length near Semipalatinsk. This was on the banks 
of the Irtish River in sandy soil mixed with some clay. In the open 
steppe 3 to 4 feet was a common height. 

Medicago falcata is a very common wild plant all through this 
region. The peasants have so much land that they have not begun 
the cultivation of any alfalfas or clovers and will not need to with 
the present scarcity of population and as long as Medicago falcata 
is so abundant. 

The personal observation of the writer was that horses, cattle, and 
sheep are extremely fond of the plant, and that it endures consider- 
able pasturing. It was also learned that it is green very early in the 
spring, endures very severe summer droughts, stands dry upland soils 
underlaid with hardpan, and is considered resistant to alkali in the 
salt steppes of the south part of the Tomsk Province. 

In 1900 the writer found this plant quite abundant on the eastern 
coast region of Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia, and a quantity of the 
seed was saved from hay brought in by the Buriats, a Mongolian 
tribe, from north of Irkutsk. The proximity of this great lake gives 
a gi'eater rainfall here than out on the steppes, so that this form of 
the species may prove desirable in moist, cold regions such as Maine 
and northern Michigan. Lake Baikal may be termed approxmiately 
the eastern limit of the plant, although it was found in abundance 
at Werchne Udinsk, about 100 miles east of the lake. The extreme 
eastern point where it has been found is at Charonte, a few miles into 
Chinese territory, where an arm of the Gobi Desert extends across 
the Siberian Railroad. 

150 



THREE SIBERIAN ALFALFAS. 15 

MEDICAGO PLATYCARPA. 

Medicago platycarpa Ledebour is a strong-growing perennial 
alfalfa with yellow flowers and large flat pods, found mainly in 
central Siberia. Its distribution is principally along the edges of 
timber and in open places in the native timber. Its native environ- 
ment indicates that it sh&uld be tested in some sheltered regions, 
such as the timber sections of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin 
and westward into the Rocky Mountains. It is found in south- 
eastern Siberia from the Province of Tobolsk west to Irkutsk and 
south into Mongolia, its main distribution, however, being in the 
southern part of the Province of Tomsk. In this province seed was 
gathered in 1908 at Chylim, east of the Obi River. 

MEDICAGO RUTHENlfA. 

Medicago riithenica Ledebour is a yellow-flowered wild perennial 
alfalfa extending approximateh^ from the eastern shore of Lake 
Baikal to the Pacific Ocean ; in Siberia extending southward into 
Manchuria, Mongolia, Korea, and northern China. Its northern 
limits, from the specimens collected so far, appear to be the central 
part of the Amur River and its tributaries. Seed was gathered the 
past season at Charonte, in an arm of the Gobi Desert, a few miles 
east of the Chinese border in the Mongolian portion of Manchuria. 
Manchuria proper begins in the Chingan Mountains, farther east. 
Here this plant was abundant and growing in nearly pure sand. In 
general it is found scattered in dry, stony soils. Medicago nithenica 
is closely related to Medicago falcata, but the seed pods are flat and 
oval or tapering slightly at both ends, much like those of M. platy- 
carpa^ but smaller. 

As a fodder plant this species is greatly relished by the cattle, 
horses, sheep, and camels kept by the native nomad Mongolians in 
the region where the seed was gathered. Its distribution in a general 
way may be said to be north of that of the common alfalfa {Medicago 
sativa). 

The botanical descriptions indicate, as far as length of stem is 
concerned, that the three Siberian alfalfas, Medicago falcata, M. 
platycarpa, and M. ruthenica, are the same in length of stem, being 
given as 75 to 100 centimeters. The stems of 3/. platycarpa and M. 
ruthenica are smooth ; those of M, falcata are somewhat hairy. The 
flowers of all three are yellow. The pods of M. platycarpa and M. 
falcata contain many seeds; those of M. ruthenica not usually more 
than four seeds. The seed pods of M. falcata are sickle shaped, while 
those of the other two are flat and somewhat oval. 

150 



16 WILD ALFALFAS AND CLOVERS OF SIBERIA. 

FOUR OTHER ALFALFAS. 

MEDICAGO SATIVA. 

The common alfalfa, or lucern, is a native of the temperate regions 
of Avestern Asia. According to Watt " the botanical evidence favors 
the inference that the original habitat of this plant extended from 
the northwest frontier of India to the shores of the Mediterranean. 
Watt further says that many writers regard Medicago sativa L., 
M. falcata L., and M. media Persoon as forming but one species. 
Other writers hold them to be varieties of one species, and still others 
believe that all three are distinct. Stebler and Schroter very justly 
maintain that to the agriculturist all three are very distinct. The 
ancient Indian literature is too vague to separate these alfalfas fully, 
so AVatt describes all Indian notes without specific botanical distinc- 
tion as to the species to which they allude. Stebler and Schroter state 
that lucern is indigenous to Asia, Anatolia, the southern Caucasus, 
Persia, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, and Kashmir. To this list should 
be added Bokhara and other parts of Turkestan, the vast region just 
north of Persia and Afghanistan. However, this plant has been 
cultivated in China since a very early date and further investigations 
may modify our notions somewhat as to its oriental distribution. 

According to De Candolle the Romans brought lucern from Media 
four hundred and seventy years before the Christian era; hence the 
generic name, Medicago. The plant is mentioned by early Roman 
writers. 

It is difficult to determine whether lucern is really indigenous to 
North Africa, but it is certain that it has been cultivated from a very 
early date and found its way to Spain centuries ago, perhaps at the 
time of the Moorish invasion, and was afterAvards brought by the 
Spaniards to South America, and later to California. Some of it 
probably came over direct from Europe to America. In the light 
of the new theory of mutation we must regard this species as a collec- 
tion of elementary species differing widely in character, some of 
which have been isolated under cultivation, but in none of them do 
we find the plant we desire for regions with extremely severe winter 
cold, especially with no snow on the ground. 

The researches of Russian botanists show that Medicago sativa 
grows spontaneously in northern Korea, southern Manchuria and 
Mongolia, northern China, and all of Turkestan. Further research 
may serve to give more credit to the Chinese in developing Medicago 
sativa than we do now. One claim is that alfalfa followed the ancient 
southern caravan tracks westward many centuries ago. Certain it is 
that the plant was cultivated in Turkestan from very ancient times. 

« Watt, George. Dictionary of the Economic Products of India. 1892. 
150 



FOUR OTHER ALFALFAS. 17 

The writer returned home from Siberia and Turkestan in January, 
1909, via Trans-Caucasia, the Bhick Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. 
He took occasion to visit the Sahara Desert in northern Africa to 
study the alfalfa as cultivated by the Arabs. In asking an Arab at 
Biskra if the alfalfa he grew was not secured by him from the French, 
it was amusing to note his eagerness to insist that on the contrary the 
French had obtained it from the Arabs. Alfalfa is one of the favor- 
ite plants of the oases, where it has been grown from time immemorial. 

The point to which particular attention is directed is that so far 
no pure strain of Medicago sativa has appeared which is sufficiently 
hardy for the northern tier of States in the Prairie Northwest — that 
is, none that has not suffered at times from winterkilling. In other 
words, we have been endeavoring to cultivate common alfalfa far 
north of its ancient limits, and the process is fairly successful in 
regions of abundant snowfall, as the snow serves as a perfect winter 
protection. But there is a large area in the Prairie Northwest where 
the most severe cold comes occasionally with no snow on the ground. 
An example of this was in February, 1899, when millions of dollars' 
worth of common alfalfa was lost from our northern boundary south 
to Kansas. 

The writer's ideal is an alfalfa that will never winterkill under the 
most severe conditions that can be found in the Prairie Northwest. 

Medicago sativa tut'kestanica. — Probably the hardiest form of 
Medicago sativa is the one introduced from Turkestan in 1898. This 
proved more resistant to drought and cold than the ordinary alfalfa 
in cultivation in the United States. In his second trip to Turkestan 
in 1908, after a lapse of eleven years, the writer was interested in 
learning of the remarkable growth of the export of Turkestan alfalfa 
seed. On good authority he learned that 200,000 poods" go out of 
the khanate of Khiva alone, and perhaps upwards of 100,000 poods 
from the remaining sections of Turkestan. This may be explained 
by the multitude of camels in Turkestan which eat the old dry stems 
after the plants have been left standing for seed. The larger part of 
this seed goes to South America, where the area to which the plant 
is adapted is larger than that in the United States. 

A danger now confronts the industry, owing to the fact that the 
seed passes through the hands of so man}^ middlemen and a certain 
amount of seed is shipped from southern Persia by the Caspian Sea 
which also goes into the market under the same name. Efforts are 
being made to correct this, as seed of the far southern region can 
scarcely be expected to be as cold resistant as the more northern 
types. 

"A Russian pood equals 32 pounds. 
150 



18 WILD ALFALFAS AND CLOVERS OF SIBERIA. 

The name " turkestanica " is not a botanical name, but one given 
by Russian agronomists to distinguish the alfalfa found in Russian 
Turkestan and central Asia. S. P. I. No. 20711, from Prof. V. R. 
Williams, at Moscow, was originally from a single plant found at 
Tashkend, the capital of Russian Turkestan. At Moscow, Professor 
Williams has found this strain very hardy, very productive, and a 
beautiful plant, while the French lucern, by which is meant the 
ordinary cultivated alfalfa of Europe and North Africa, is winter- 
killed. ' 

MEDICAGO MEDIA. 

Sand lucern. — Lucern is only another name for alfalfa and is the 
one most commonly used in Europe. Sand lucern {Medlcago media 
Persoon) is usually regarded as a natural hybrid of Medlcago falcata 
and M. sativa. The flowers of sand lucern vary from pale yellow to 
green and violet. It appears that where the two species overlap in 
Europe and Asia natural hybrids occur, although not abundantly, 
and the hybrid ranges farther north than Medlcago sativa. This 
hybrid origin makes our work with the ordinary sand lucern uncer- 
tain, as w^e do not know the exact origin of the two parents. Some 
of the strains of common alfalfa now in cultivation appear to be pure 
types of this species, and whether they are not really hybrid mixtures 
with Medlcago falcata remains to be determined. This problem is 
now in the process of investigation by the Department of Agriculture. 

In the light of the previous discussion of the varying hardiness of 
a species of a plant extending over a wide area it is reasonable to 
suppose that the native sand lucern of northern Sweden, western 
Siberia, and the Volga River region of eastern Russia would not be 
of the same degree of hardiness as the native sand lucern of Hungary 
and other parts of southern Europe. A very interesting field for 
further work is opened up for plant breeders by the importation of 
these new types of wild and cultivated alfalfas from various places 
in Europe and Asia. 

It would be of great interest to make the cross referred to artifi- 
cially in order to see whether nature's work can be reproduced. Ex- 
periments should also be made in crossing strains of definitely known 
origin of these two species of alfalfa to determine the best combina- 
tion. In other words, nature has pointed the way by giving us a good 
hybrid alfalfa, but it may not be the best one that it is possible to 
make. 

Sand lucern In Russia. — In 1897 the writer learned of the existence 
of sand lucern in Russia in his tour of the Volga River region. It is 
native in this region of eastern Russia. It is found at least as far 
north as Perm Province and is called " sand lucern " by the peasants. 

150 



FOUR OTHER ALFALFAS. 19 

In 1907 seed descended from a single plant grown in Voronezh 
Province of the lower Volga River region was obtained. This spon- 
taneous or natural hybrid will sometimes have yellow flowers on one 
branch and blue flowers on another, or both on one branch. As 
alread}^ stated, sand hicern is considered to be a natural hybrid of 
Medicago satlva and Medicago falcata (S. P. I. No. 20714). S. P. I. 
No. 20715 is from the same region, but bears yellow flowers and is in 
fact almost Medicago falcata in its characteristics. S. P. T. No. 20716, 
from the same region, is a plant of vigorous growth, very hardy and 
productive, with black-green flowers. These three lots of seed were 
selected by Professor Williams, of the Agricultural College at 
Moscow. 

In 1906 the writer secured seed of sand lucern from north Sweden, 
60° north latitude (S. P. I. No. 20571). The plant appears to be in 
cultivation more in Hungary than elsewhere in Europe. 

Herbarium specimens from lower Austria at the Imperial Botanic 
Garden in St. Petersburg were marked as growing spontaneously 
among the parent species, Medicago sativa and M. falcata^ and there 
were also specimens from the rocks on the eastern shore of the Caspian 
Sea. 

MEDICAGO GLUTINOSA. 

Medicago glutinosa Bieberstein is a native of the Caucasus Moun- 
tains and Trans-Caucasia generally, especially of Armenia, where it 
is found up to a height of 7,500 feet. It is the only one of the 21 
species of Medicago native of Caucasia which the writer thought 
worthy of introduction. His intention Avas to secure seed when re- 
turning through the Caucasus from Turkestan, but it was too late in 
the season and there was too much snow in the mountains to make this 
feasible. When it is obtained, it should be from the very dry upland 
region surrounding Mount Ararat in Armenia, the mountain men- 
tioned in the eighth chapter of Genesis. 

This plant is closely related to the Medicago falcata of western 
Siberia, the main distinction beiijg the minute glutinous hairs found 
on the seed pods and young shoots. 

MEDICAGO ARBOREA. 

Medicago aThorea L. is the largest representative of the Medicago 
genus, attaining a height of ujDwards of 10 feet. It is a native of the 
Mediterranean region of Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and is 
the " cytisus " mentioned by ancient Greek and Roman writers as an 
excellent forage plant. It is especially common on the islands of the 
Greek archipelago and in southern Italy. It is cultivated to a limited 

150 



20 WILD ALFALFAS AND CLOVERS OF SIBERIA. 

extent in various portions of its range, but as it gets Avoody too 
quickly and is less productive, the ordinary lucern is much more in 
favor. It is a favorite wild plant, as it furnishes rich feed for cattle, 
sheep, and goats. In old plants the wood is dark and hard like 
ebony, and its use for saber handles, canes, and beads is recorded. 

The writer's personal observations in gathering wild seeds of this 
jolant are confined to Mount Lycabetos at Athens, near Mars Hill, 
on which the Apostle Paul preached to the Athenians, and to the cliffs 
near the outskirts of Naples, Italy, where the plants were found 
growing in the crevices of rocks, where they were inaccessible to any 
live stock. The plants seemed to flourish in the driest possible 
crevices in almost perpendicular cliff's where, apparently, no water 
could get to them. 

Medicago arhorea appears of value in hot, dry places where few 
other plants Avill live, but its greatest value is perhaps to be looked 
for from the standpoint of breeding. Some of its remarkable vigor 
of growth could with advantage be imparted to the other Medicagos 
of more northern origin. This species has been tried in a limited 
way in southern California as an ornamental plant, and north of 
its main range in Europe is considered only as an ornamental shrub 
needing winter protection. The large, bright yellow flowers are 
abundantly produced. 

THE FUTURE ALFALFA FOR AMERICA. 

From a personal study of the alfalfas on four continents as out- 
lined in the foregoing pages, the thought has come very strongly to 
the writer that no one alfalfa has all the good points needed for our 
future agriculture. All of them, in the light of the mutation theory, 
are collections of elementary species varying widely in imjDortant 
characteristics. 

This opens a vast field for the plant breeder. The elementary 
species which are the best for each particular region may be isolated 
by selection. Parallel with this line of experimentation should be 
carried on experiments in hybridization. 

In the spring of 1908 the writer began this work independently in 
South Dakota by potting plants of several alfalfas obtained in his 
former tours to Asia, with a view to hybridization. However, the idea 
is not wholly new, experiments having been started independently by 
the Department of Agriculture. Nature has already pointed out the 
way in the natural hybrid known as Medicago media^ or sand lu- 
cern. There are many combinations possible, and it is a promising 
field for the plant breeder, especially since Mendel's law of heredity 
has given us a quick method of breeding hybrids true to seed. This, 
however, is a work for the plant breeder and not for the farmer., The 

150 



CLOVERS OF EASTERN EUROPEAN RUSSIA AND SIBERIA. 21 

Siberian alfalfas, in their present unselected state, fresh from the 
Avikls of Siberia, will, it is hoped, prove useful in solving the alfalfa 
problem in the Prairie Northwest. 

NOTES ON THE CLOVERS OF EASTERN EUROPEAN RUSSIA AND 

SIBERIA. 

There are more than 250 species of Trifolinm in the temperate and 
subtropical regions of the Old World and North America ; also iff the 
mountains of tropical Africa and South America. - 

TRirOLIU>r PRATEXSE RED CLOVER. 

The ordinary red clover {Ti'ifolhun, pratense L.) is a native of 
Europe, Xorth Africa, and northern and middle Asia. As culti- 
vated in the United States it is quite a hairy plant, while smooth- 
leaved forms have been found in parts of Europe, especially in Nor- 
way and eastern Russia. The American red clover seed sometimes 
comes to Russia, owing to its cheapness, but is objected to by the 
Russian planters owing to the hairiness of the leaves, causing dusty 
hay and heaves in horses. 

The smooth-leaved clover of the Volga River region of eastern 
Russia is now being tested in the United States as Orel clover under 
the direction of the Department of Agriculture. The form most in 
favor for the colder regions of European Russia is that from the 
Province of Perm, known as the Perm clover. It is perennial, living 
several years at least. This may turn out to be much the same strain 
as the Orel clover. 

In Siberia red clover is found native over a wide area in the steppe 
region of western Siberia and south to the Altai Mountains and 
Turkestan and westward to the Trans-Baikal region. It is common 
in the south part of Tomsk Province, where seed was collected by the 
Avriter in 1908. 

The white clover {Tnfolium repens) is very widely distributed in 
Siberia and southward at least to the Mongolian and Pamir plateaus, 
as well as in Europe, North Africa, North America, and sub-Arctic 
America. A giant form from the upland meadows of north Italy is 
interesting. It is known as Trifolium hianco lodlgensis. The ^vriter 
found that it was being tested as a novelty at Moscow, Russia, in 
1906, and that a form with dark red spotted leaves was being isolated. 

PERM RED CLOVER. 

In 1908 at the Agricultural College in Moscow the writer saw large 
fields of the Perm red clover, three or four years from the seed Avith- 
out resowing, all of luxuriant growth and showing the great vigor of 

150 



22 WILD ALFALFAS AND CLOVERS OF SIBERIA. 

the plant. The Russian Government has been promoting the spread 
of this Perm red clover over other parts of Russia. At Moscow the 
comparative yields were as follows: Seed from southern Sweden, 4; 
seed from Orel, Russia, 12; seed from Perm, north of Orel, 18. As 
the Province of Perm is farther north than Orel, these yields in the 
severe climate of Moscow are suggestive and indicate that the plant 
is worthy of trial in the United States. The general low esteem in 
which American red clover is held in Russia indicates the need of 
improving the plant now in our cultivation. The main objection 
to our American clover, aside from its lesser hardiness, is its abun- 
dant hairiness and consequent dusty hay. 

TRIFOLIUM MEDIUM. 

In the Volga River region of eastern Russia great interest has been 
aroused in recent years in the native red clover of the dry steppes. 
This is especially the case since the frequent droughts of recent years. 
The form known as Trifolhim alfestre Crantz, which according to 
other authorities is Trifolium medium L., has attracted especial at- 
tention owing to its deeper growing taproots. 

The wild red clover is found all over Russia from tlie far north to 
the extreme south and from east to west. Russian authorities state 
that there are two varieties of this clover. The first has round 
leaves with a white spot ; the second, with longer leaves, more pubes- 
cent than the first, of one color throughout, without the spot. The 
flower head of the second variety is longer than that of the first. The 
second variety deserves the first consideration, since it is more resist- 
ant to cold and drought. The characteristic that gives it very great 
value for dry regions is the very strong root system, consisting of 
deep-growing taproots with numerous laterals. These plants are 
found in complete possession of the dry steppes. The cultivation of 
this native dry-land clover as found in the dry regions of extreme 
eastern Russia is specially recommended by the Russian authorities, 
this variety being immensely superior to the red clover of western 
Europe, which extended tests show to be very decidedly lacking in 
hardiness. 

The existence of the deep-growing taproots of this wild red clover 
was first discovered in 1903 in the Province of Samara, and experi- 
ments were begun in 1904. The great famine of eastern Russia, to 
alleviate which America rendered valuable aid, greatly stimulated the 
efforts of the Russian Government to find a plant and to determine 
methods of cultivation better adapted to this vast steppe region. The 
seed of this wild, taprooted clover ripens in the central part of the 
Province of Samara in the second half of July, but in old fields the 
seed ripens earlier than in those of more recent date. 

150 



CLOVERS OF EASTERN EUROPEAN RUSSIA AND SIBERIA. 23 

Cattle are vei\y fond of this wild clover, so much so that the plants 
do not have much of a chance where the rang:e is overstocked. 

TRIFOLIUM MONTANUM. 

Trifolium montanum is a drought-resistant clover with white 
flowers found in the southeastern provinces of European Kussia, such 
as Kharkof (S. P. I. No. 20055), Voronezh (S. P. I. No. 20656), and 
Saratov (S. P. I. No. 20660). The species does not appear to extend 
far into Siberia, botanical literature giving it as being rare in Omsk 
and Tomsk and as native of the southern part of the Province of 
Tobolsk, western Siberia. In the Volga River province it does not 
appear to be a heavy cropper, but is very drought resistant. There 
is room for more study of the affinities of the European and western 
Siberian red clovers and close allies. 

TRIFOLIUM LUPINASTER. 

Trifolium lupinaster L. may be termed the dominant representative 
of the clover genus in Siberia. It is very widely distributed, practi- 
cally throughout the length and breadth of Siberia, extending farther 
north than any other type of the Trifoliums, and into Mongolia and 
Turkestan. Its northern range is in the vicinity of the Arctic Circle 
across Siberia. Specimens have been collected in the Province of 
Archangel, near the Arctic Circle in European Russia. It is an 
extremely abundant plant on the open steppes and is found along with 
the three species of Siberian alfalfa already mentioned. It is a peren- 
nial with a strong root system. The judgment of the writer is that 
it will not compete with the ordinary clover where that is perfectly 
hard}", but it is worthy of trial in our most northern and driest re- 
gions, owing to its perfect hardiness and capacity for resisting 
drought. It is very common in the wild hay offered on Siberian 
markets, and may be found to hold its own as a wild plant to intro- 
duce into our pastures. 

The plant consists mainly of a single stem with few branches, with 
a cluster of large, rose-colored floAvers at the top. The color varies, 
however, to light violet and even Avhite. In the steppe regions of 
western Siberia, as elsewhere, it is a common practice for the peasants 
after they have raised a number of crops of wheat to abandon the 
field for several years. The weeds that come in at first are croAvded 
out by the ordinary grasses, and along with them this clover holds 
its own and seeds freely, showing great vigor under unfavorable 
circumstances. 

" Lupinaster " means " similar to the lupine," referring to the five 
leaflets similar to the lupine. Perhaps '' Siberian lupine clover " will 

150 



24 WILD ALFALFAS AND CLOVEES OF SIBERIA. 

be a good name for the plant in case it should be found suitable for 
growing on our northern borders. In the Province of Tomsk it has 
been found on alkali soils. At Moscow the suggestion was made that 
it may be necessary to scratch the seed of this clover before planting 
to insure even germination, as it is now well understood that this is 
necessary for a number of legumes to secure the best results in 
germination. European seedsmen now have machines for scratching 
leguminous seeds. 

TRirOLIUM SUAVEOLENS PERSIAN CLOVER. 

TTifoliurfi suaveolens Willd. is native in southern Europe, North 
Africa to Persia, and in Afghanistan and India. In his trip to 
Russia and Turkestan in 1908 the writer heard of the Persian clover 
Schabdar, which was being introduced under government auspices 
into Turkestan from northeastern Persia as a valuable annual clover 
for rotation in the cotton-growing region. Previous to this time the 
Department of Agriculture had received from India seed*^ of two 
local varieties of the shaftal clover, which is considered one of the 
best forage plants in India and botanically appears to be a cultivated 
form of this species. In the course of the summer it was also learned 
that this Persian clover Schabdar belonged to this species, and it 
seemed advisable to obtain as much seed as possible from northeastern 
Persia, this being the most northeastern point where it was in culti- 
vation. 

This is a plant of extremely vigorous growth, but is sensitive to 
night frosts and needs hot summers for its best development. In 
Persia and Afghanistan usually the third growth is left standing for 
seed. Farther north, in Turkestan, the limit of the strain on the north 
border of the cotton belt, experience shows that it is better to cut it 
only once for fodder and to leave the second growth for seed. 

The botanical name of this plant, Trifolkim suaveolens^ means 
" sweet scented." The flowers are small and sweet. They contain a 
large quantity of honey and are a great favorite with the bees. The 
lateness of the season made it impracticable to go to Meshed, the capi- 
tal of northeastern Persia, near the meeting point of Afghanistan, 
Turkestan, and Persia. Enough seed originally from INIeshed and 
grown one year in Turkestan was obtained, however, at Tashkend and 
the Hunger Steppe, Turkestan, for a good trial. Since arriving home 
a shipment of nearly six hundred pounds has been received direct 

"This seed (S. P. I. Nos. 19506 and 19507) was presented to the Department 
of Agriculture by Mr. Philip Parlver, experimental officer in the irrigation 
service of India, through Mr. Charles J. Brand, of the Bureau of Plant Indus- 
try, in December, 1906. 
150 



ACCLTMATIZATTON OP PLANTS TO COLD. 25 

from Meshed. It appears probable that this plant will be found 
valuable in the regions of the most extreme heat in the Southwest. 
Plenty of bacteria nodules are formed the first J'ear, as was found on 
examining the plant in the field at Tashkend. 

CAN PLANTS BE ACCLIMATIZED TO ENDURE A GREATER DEGREE 

OF COLD? 

Some of the most fundamental problems in agriculture and horti- 
culture in the United States depend upon the right answer to this 
question. In view of the fact that the writer's opinion on this subject 
differs materially from those usually held, it appears only fair in this 
connection to define briefly his position, as outlined during the past 
few years in a number of addresses and bulletins. The discussion may 
be divided into (1) annual plants, or those enduring but one season, 
and (2) perennial plants, those living more than one year. 

ACCLIMATIZATION OF ANNUAL PLANTS. 

The history of cultivated annual plants has been quoted as an ex- 
ception to the law^ that plants can not be acclimatized to a greater 
degree of cold. Indian corn, for example, in its native tropical and 
semitropical home in South America attains a height of 20 feet, re- 
quiring seven months for maturity, and has kernels several times 
the size of ordinary corn. The Indians before Columbus discovered 
America had already completed the work of carrying the plant north- 
ward on the American continent into Canada, but the plant has 
simply been dwarfed and shortened in its period of maturity. It 
still needs extreme heat for a part of the growing season, and no 
variety has been originated which is adapted to the cool nights of 
northern Europe. 

The theory of mutations has thrown a new light on the subject of 
acclimatizing annual plants. It appears that the ordinary botanical 
species usually consists of a number of elementary species or distinct 
mutations. By the critical methods of observation of Doctor Nilsson 
and his associates at the experiment station at Svalof, Sweden, new 
varieties of cereals are being produced by isolating mutations. The 
Swedish Select oat imported by the United States Department of 
Agriculture is one of the results of this work. 

This work may be described in another way by saying that ele- 
mentary species are being isolated from systematic species. An 
ordinary variety of barley, for example, may consist of a number of 
elementary species or distinct mutations. These, in the course of 
years, have adjusted themselves in a more or less constant proportion 
to meet the conditions of a given locality. When the seed is now 

150 



26 . WILD ALFALFAS AND CLOVERS OF SIBERIA. 

transported to a new environment the relative proportions of these 
elementary species are rearranged to meet the new conditions. For 
example, if a variety of barley is taken northward the extra-early 
elementary species within the limit of the variety soon outnumber 
the later maturing mutations, and if taken too far north the late 
sorts are soon entirely eliminated. Doctor Nilsson believes that a 
very early variety which will be adapted to far northern conditions 
may be originated far south, because the early mutations will surely 
appear whether the variety is raised north or south, and the problem 
is mainly the isolation of these early mutations when they appear. 

ACCLIMATIZATION OF PERENNIAL PLANTS. 

It is worthy of note that the many failures in farming in the 
semiarid regions of the West are due to the fact that the plants culti- 
vated are from the milder regions of central Europe, showing that 
it is unwise to farm in a dry, cold climate with wet, warm climate 
plants. This is a very fundamental proposition, but the farmers of 
America have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in a vain effort 
to acclimatize certain plants. 

Let it now be placed on record that his study of horticultural prob- 
lems in the Prairie Northwest during the past twenty years has 
taught the writer to have no faith in the possibility of acclimatizing 
perennial plants to a greater degree of cold than that to which they 
are accustomed in their original habitat. Why is it that some trees 
and shrubs live and others die at a temperature of —40° F. with the 
ground bare of snow? In the endeavor to answer this question in 
the study of hundreds of kinds of fruit and ornamental trees and 
shrubs it appears that those native to a cold climate prove hardy, 
while those from a milder region are winterkilled. On the other 
hand, it appears that the original source of the seed makes a great 
difference. The box elder, red cedar, and many other trees from 
southern seed prove short lived and tender in the north, while trees 
of the same species of northern origin were hardy at the north. It 
appears, then, that for horticultural purposes the botanical name is 
entirely insufficient ; that there is a difference in the species that can 
not be defined in botanical terms. 

The writer does not believe in giving plants winter protection, as 
that is horticulture on crutches, and hence undesirable. In his first 
trip to Russia in 1804 he became interested in the results of Russian 
experiments with seed of evergreens from the northern regions of 
Russia and western Siberia as compared with seed of the same species 
from western Europe. In each case the native Russian seed had 
given plants of superior hardiness. It appeared then that nature was 

150 



ACCLIMATIZATION OF PLANTS TO COLD. 27 

able to acclimatize the same species to widely different regions, but 
there was no means of determining the length of time which had been 
taken for this work. This thought came to mind in reading tlie fol- 
lowing in the '' Origin of Cultivated Plants," by De Candolle : 

The nortbern limits of wild species * * * have not changed within his- 
toric times, although the seeds are carried frequeutly and continually to the 
north of each limit. Periods of more than four or five thousand years or 
changements of form and duration are needed apparently to produce a modifi- 
cation in a plant which will allow it to support a greater degree of cold. 

Combining these two fundamental propositions, it seems possible to 
take full advantage of the great work done for us by nature in accli- 
matizing plants and to cultivate farther north the hardiest form of a 
species instead of the form adapted in the course of thousands of 
years to a moist climate. We should " hitch our wagon to a star," but 
should be careful to pick out the star that is going the right way for 
our purpose. 

This fundamental thought, to work iLnth and not against Nature 
in adapting plants to our prairie conditions, should underlie all 
efforts in the improvement of plants. 

Concisely stated, the writer's belief is that plants can not be brought 
to endure any greater degree of cold to any noteworthy extent ; that 
hardiness can not be bred into plants by selection alone. The ability 
to endure cold is probably a unit characteristic of the species which 
may be imparted by hybridizing. In fact, in his work in originating 
many hybrids between hardy and tender fruits at the South Dakota 
Agricultural Experiment Station, he has obtained hardy plants from 
the seed of tender varieties by hybridizing with the hardy ones, 
showing that the hardy male parent can transmit its hardiness even 
when the female parent species is tender. 

The only other way in which acclimatization might possibly occur 
is by some great mutation or sudden change in the species, accord- 
ing to De Vries's theory of mutation. It appears as the result of 
De Vries's experiments that new varieties of plants and animals 
may originate as freaks or sports which are capable of reproducing 
true to seed. The writer has summarized this in the statement that 
evolution may be likened to a kangaroo rather than a snail; that 
changes that were formerly thought to demand thousands of years 
really take place suddenly. Applying this thought to the history of 
Shorthorn cattle, for instance, the "Champion of England," who 
stamped himself so indelibly upon the breed, was really a mutation 
and fully prepotent in his ability to transmit his perfect points. 

A hardy plant may appear from tender stock, then, as a mutation, 
but so far, out of many instances, as in the case of the apple, rasp- 

150 



28 WILD ALFALFAS AND CLOVERS OF SIBERIA. 

berry, grape, alfalfa, and clover, no noteworthy progress has been 
made in making plants hardier by selection from tender stock. It is 
like the never-ending work of Sisyphus. 

There is much discussion as to acclimatizing alfalfa, but the occa- 
sional test winters, such as that of 1898-9, in Avhich millions of dol- 
lars' worth of alfalfa was destroyed in the AVest and Northwest, 
indicate that it is not feasible to get hardy plants by selecting from 
tender stock. In each and every case it is starting on a work that may 
take many thousands of years for completion and the test winters 
may compel us to begin all over again. Nature takes a century of 
centuries for some experiments; let us leave such work to her. In 
other words, the writer has believed that those who were attempting 
to acclimatize the alfalfa brought over from Africa by the Spaniards 
and which reached California by way of the Spanish settlements 
in South America were starting on a ten-thousand-year job, and 
hence on one that they could never finish. 

This is applying De Candolle's law to agricultural problems. 
Hence the overland journey of 2,000 miles in 1897-8 in northern 
Turkestan, western China, and southern Siberia, in an endeavor to 
find the hardiest form of the common alfalfa. 

To return to Siberia in 1908, after a lapse of eleven ^^ears, and to 
learn that nature had done the work of breeding a hardy alfalfa was 
indeed a great pleasure. It is hoped that it will help in solving the 
alfalfa question on the North American continent. It appears as 
a sensible proposition for the United States, in the task of developing 
our natural agricultural resources, to take advantage of the work of 
nature through countless ages in other regions of the world. Na- 
tional or patriotic sentiment has no reference to plant life. We 
should be cosmopolitan and get as manj^ kinds of economic plants 
from as many regions as possible, bring them together here, and let 
the fittest survive. We shall be satisfied with nothing less than the 
best of everything for every region. That is the fundamental thought 
of the agricultural exploration work which has been planned and 
carried out during the past twelve years by the present Secretary of 
Agriculture. 

150 



INDEX. 



Page. 

Ac-climatization of plants, discussion 25-28 

Alfalfa, breeding, desirability- of ideal hybrid for America 18.20 

common. .SVr Metlicago sativa. 

future, for America 20-21 

growing in Sahara Desert 17 

hybrid, sand lucern, origin, history, description, and distribution- 18-19 

hybridization, desirability 18, 20 

Siberian, northern limit 10 

resistance to cold, drought, and alkali 10, 12, 14 

value as hay and forage 9, 11, 14. l.j 

yellow-flowered, value as hay and forage 9, 11. 14, 15 

Sec also Medicago falcata, M. platycarpa, and M, ruthenica. 

Alfalfas, Siberian, three 11-15 

America, future alfalfa 20-21 

Bees, forage, value of Medicago falcata 13,14 

Trifolium suaveolens 24 

Beseutsug Experiment Station, Russia, work with alfalfas in cold, dry 

lands 12 

Cattle, dairy, feeding, value of Medicago falcata 11 

China, cultivation of Medicago falcata 12 

Clover. Orel, similarity to Perm red clover 21 

Persian. Sec Trifolium suaveolens. 

red. American, objectionable on account of hairy leaves 21-22 

habitat, different forms under cultivation, etc 21 

Perm, Russian cultivation and supeiiority to American red 

clover 21-22 

Russian and Siberian smooth-leaved forms 21, 22 

wild Russian forms, hardiness 22 

Siberian lupine. See Trifolium lupinaster. 

northern limit 10 

white, distribution 21 

Clovers of eastern European Russia and Siberia, notes 21-25 

Dairy cattle, feeding, Aalue of Medicago falcata 11 

De Candolle on acclimatization of plants 27 

iBtroduction of lucern into Italy 16 

De Vries, theory of sudden mutations 27 

Deserts, conditions, study 10,17 

Explorations, agricultural, object 7,28 

Forecast regarding clovers and alfalfas brought fi'om Siberia 10-11 

Hairiness, objection to American red clover 21-22 

stems, characteristic of Medicago falcata 15 

Hay. Siberian alfalfa, value for stock 9.11,14,15 

150 29 



30 WILD ALFALFAS AND CLOVERS OF SIBERIA. 

Page. 

Hooker, Sir J. D., on occurrence of Medicago falcata in India 12 

Hinigary, cultivation of sand lucern 19 

Hybrid alfalfa, sand Incern, origin, liistory, description, and distribution- lS-19 

Hybridization of alfalfa, desirability 18,20 

India, occurrence of Medicago falcata 12 

Introduction to bulletin 7 

Klingen, studies of Medicago falcata 13 

Kopal, Siberia, northern limit of Medicago sativa 8,9 

Legumes, forage, for extreme north 10 

Lucern, French. Sec Medicago sativa. 
sand. aS'ct Medicago media, 
yellow. See Alfalfas, Siberian. 

Maine, adaptability of Medicago falcata 14 

Medicago arborea, description and resistance to drought 19-20 

desirability for breeding hybrid alfalfas 20 

habitat and value for forage ' 20 

falcata, geographical distribution, description, and value 9-14 

root system, description 12,14 

Siberian field notes, 1906 and 1908 13-14 

Aalue in feeding dairy cattle of Siberia 11 

glutinosa, habitat, occurrence, and resemblance to Medicagc 

falcata 19 

media, hybrid origin, history, description, and distribution 18-19 

seed, localities from which secured 19 

platycarpa, geographical distribution and description 9, 15 

ruthenica, geographical distribution and description 9,15 

sativa, geograi)hical distribution and history l(i-lS 

introduction into America by Spaniards 8, IG 

Spain from Africa 10 

northern limit, Kopal, Siberia 8,9 

occurrence in China 16 

turkestanica, cultivation in Russia 18 

introduction into United States 8,17 

resistance to drought and cold 8.17,18 

winterkilling in dry climates 8,17,18 

Michigan, northeru, adaptability of Medicago falcata 14 

^Minnesota, adaptability of Medicago platycarpa 15 

Moorcroft on description of yellow lucern in India 12 

Mount Ararat. Armenia, occurrence of Medicago glutinosa 19 

Mutations, plant, isolation, use in acclimatization of plants 2i")-26, 27-28 

sudden, theory of De Vries 27 

Northwest Prairie region, need of hardy alfalfas for stock 7.9,11 

Orel clover, similarity to Perm red clover 21 

Pasture, value of Medicago falcata 11,13,14 

Perm red clover in Russia, cultivation, superiority to American red clover_ 21-22 
Persian clover. See Trifolium suaveolens. 

Plants, annual, acclimatization 25-26 

hardy, breeding, studies and experiments 7, 27 

mutations, isolation, use in acclimatization of plants 25-26, 27-28 

pei'ennial, acclimatization 26-28 

Pods, sickle-shaped, characteristic of Medicago falcata 11,15 

Protein content, Siberian alfalfa, superiority of first cutting 12 

150 



INDEX. 31 

Page. 

Root system of ]\redicago falcata, rlescriptiou 12,14 

Trifoliuni medium, description 22 

Rotations, sliort, value of wild clovers 9,13,24 

Russia, European, eastern, notes on clovers 21-25 

occurrence of Medicago falcata 12-13 

sand luceru 18-19 

Sahara Desert, alfalfa growing ^ 17 

Sand lucern. See Medicago metlia. 

" Sclioltoe veseel," Russian name tor Medicago falcata 14 

Seed, alfalfa, exports from Turkestan 17 

Medicago falcata, localities where gathered in 1900 13 

pods, Siberian alfalfas, characteristics 15 

sand lucern, locations from which secured 19 

Shaftal clover, a form of Trifolium suaveolens 24 

Siberia, hrst journey of explorer, description and results 8 

preparations made 7-8 

notes on clovers 21-25 

second journey of explorer, description and results 8-9 

third journey of explorer, description and results 9-10 

Stebler and Schroter on origin of lucern 16 

Stems, Siberian alfalfas, description 15 

Trees, evergreen, acclimatization. Russian experiments 2(3 

Trifolium alpestre. form of Trifolium medium, characteristic taproots 22 

bianco lodigensis, giant form of white clover 21 

lupinaster, description, distribution, value, and hardiness 23-24 

northern limit 10 

medium, distribution, characteristic taproots, etc 22-23 

root system, description 22 

montanum, description, distribution, and drought resistance 23 

pratense, distribution, etc 21 

repens. distribution 21 

species of eastern European Russia and Siberia, notes 21-25 

suaveolens, description, value for rotation with cotton, etc 24-25 

habitat, description, value, and uses 24-25 

Turkestan alfalfa. See Medicago sativa turkestauica. 
Verkhoyansk, northern limit of alfalfa and clover, latitude and tempera- 
ture : 10 

AVatt. George, on original habitat of lucern 16 

AVisconsin. adaptability of Medicago platycarpa 15 

150 

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